How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular

Flying Hiccup (Rarmian Newton) and Toothless.
Photo credit: Lisa Tomasetti

Awhile back my parents gave my eight-year-old son Sean the book and movie versions of How to Train Your Dragon. My mom had heard what a great story it was and since she is a retired reading specialist, I especially appreciate her opinions when it comes to book recommendations for my children.

So recently when I heard that there was a live show version of the story and that it is coming to Chicago later this month, I was excited to learn more about it and try to get tickets to take Sean.

Sean, like a lot of school age children, is really into electronics and special effects in movies and stage performances. The more Sean and I learn about Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular, the more impressed I think we will be when we get to go see it on opening night Thursday, July 26th.


If you want to get tickets to see the show here in Chicago (or anywhere nationwide), you can save 25% off select seats to weekday shows (including Friday nights) on Ticketmaster with the promo code: MOM.


Here are the details:

Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular at the United Center

Thursday, July 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 28 at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 29 at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

All performances include free parking at official United Center parking lots. Tickets are on sale now and start at $26.50 plus applicable facility fees and service charges. They may be purchased through Ticketmaster or by going to www.unitedcenter.com. A limited number of special premium Dragon Hot Seats, VIP and family packages are available.

Check out this sneak peek of Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular which aired May 11 on the Today Show.

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Fun Facts about Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular:
• Produced over a two-year period in Melbourne, Australia
• 23 Dragons (including 12 different dragon species)
• Dragon wings span up to 46ft 
• Each large dragon weighs over 2.6 tons (the size of a family car) 
• Over 2 miles of “Dragon Skin” was created
• The production has the largest number of animatronics ever to tour the globe. 
• The Red Death Dragon is the largest animatronic ever built by Creature Technology Company at over 40 feet high and 60 feet wide. 
• Travels in over 30 18-Wheeler Trucks (52’ each) with a touring cast & crew of 85. 
• Together the show weighs over 200,000 pounds. 
• It would take one person over a year to load in the production. 
• Takes over 160 people to set up the production in each city (the equivalent of one person working 24 hours over 70 days). 
• If all the cables in the production were laid out end to end, they would stretch from Los Angeles to New York City. 
• The production created the first-ever touring flight track system that weighs over 28 tons. 
• The flight track uses a proprietary barcode system. The creatures scan a barcode strip as they fly around the track which tells them (and us) where they are at all times. 
• Toothless weighs over 7,500 pounds and flies over 1.2 miles throughout the performance which is equivalent to a Range Rover soaring through the arena. 
• There are more automation cues in the opening sequence alone than a Broadway musical has in a night. 
• The first-ever fully immersive live experience with projection spanning more than 20,000 square feet throughout the entire arena. The back projection wall is equivalent to 9 movie screens combined. 

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Disclaimer: I received two free tickets to Dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular to write and share this blog entry, but the words and opinions in this post are my own. I will write a follow up post/review after Sean and I see the show on opening night on July 26th.